Amos k



(No Model.)

A. K. HOFPMEIER.

RAILRGAD TIE.

No. 399,330. Patented Mar. 12, 1889.

N. PETERS. Phowunw m hen Washingiun. D. Q

UNTTETT STATES PATENT ()EEICE.

AMOS K. ITOIEFllltllCli, ()l In'\N(r\C\"ll lR, PEXNSYLYAXTA.

RAILROAD-TIE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,330, dated March 12, 1889.

Application filed February 15, 1888' Serial No. 264,129. (No model.)

To (LU whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Aims K. HOFFMEIER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Lancaster, in the county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvemen ts in Railroadlics, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of railroad-ties which can be economically constructed of metal, glass, paper, or any similar substance having the required 1 strength, which can be cast, molded, rolled, i pressed, or otherwise given the required shape; and the objects of my improvements are to f produce a tie which will afford a continuous bearing to the rail, all ties being of such uniform size and strength as maybe desirable a tiewit-h which the use of fish plates or chairs can be dispensed with, and each composed of l one single piece, to or from which the rails can be easily attached or removed. I 3000111 plish these, objects by the mechanism illusl trated in the accompanying drawings, in I which- Figure l is a top or plan view showing a number of my improved ties joined together with a portion of a rail having its head removed in place. Fig. 2 is a top view of one of my ties of somewhat different shape from those shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end view of one of the ties, showing the front of the fastening device. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section through the line a: as, Fig. l, the rail being removed. Fig. 5 is a bottom View of an end of one of the ties, showing the slots for receiving the bolts and the recesses for engaging the heads thereof. Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the line 3 y; and Fig. 7 is an end View of the bolt with the nut removed and a side view of the same, showing the nut in place in section.

Similar letters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings, A represents a cross-tie having arms B projecting from both sides thereof near the ends. These arms are made integral with the tie and form additional bea rings for the rails. When the ties are laid, the contiguous arms connect with each other by means of tongues and grooves I), one of each pair of arms having a horizontal groove in one end and the other a corresponding j tongue; but the tongue and grooves are located at the ends of opposite arms of the pairs of each tie, so that an y two ties will interlock when laid down no matter which sides of the two may be contigmuis.

The tie and its arms are made hollow on 1 the underside, or with downwardly-proj ecting flanges o along the sides and ends of the body of the tie, and flanges I) along the sides and outer ends of the arms, the flanges connecting at the angles where they meet. 0n the out side of the beds E, upon which the rails rest, are other flanges, F, which form a channel that receives the base of the rail. flanges are out only at the points f, where the nuts for holding the rail down pass through the tie.

To hold the rail down upon its hearing, I make use of angle-plates composed each of an upper portion, g, which bears against the web of the rail, and a lower portion, 72, that rests upon the base of the rail and upper face of the tie, the plate being secured in place by a bolt and nut.

The tie has an angular perforation, G, and

a slot, H, cut through it, as shown, on each side of the rail-bed. The perforations G are located a short distance outside of the edge of the rail-bed, and the slots extend from the said perforations to the edge of the bed.

Beneath the inner end of each slot there is an angular recess, I, in the under face, J, of the tie of such shape as to receive the head of the bolt and of somewhat greater depth than the thickness of said bolt-head. The

bolts K. are made with an angular head and have each two longitudinal grooves, 7., extending from the screw end of the same toward the head, which are connected at their lower ends by an eye, 1', through the bolt. Vhen the rails are in place and to be secured, the bolt-head is passed down through the perforations G until it gets below the under surface of the tie, and the bolt is moved along through the slot II until. it reaches the inner end thereof. The bolt is prevented from dropping into the cavity beneath the tie by means of a cord or wire passed through the eye 1', and having the ends joined above the end of the bolt, which ends are passed through the bolt-hole in the angle-plate and nut and serve to hold the bolt up while it is being secured in place These with the nut.

The cord rests in the grooves it until the nut has obtained sufficient hold upon it. \Vhen forced home the head of the nut rests in, the recess I. After the nut is screwed home a pin is passed through the eye i and the ends bent about the bolt to prevent the nut from loosening. To secure the ties to the stringers of elevated roads, there may be bolt-holes 6 through the bottom of the bed E.

It is not intended that the ballast should be filled up between or around the ends of the ties, but that it should be tamped under or otherwise made to fill the cavity beneath the ties to prevent transverse movement of the same. This way of using the ballast leaves the entire outer surface of the ties exposed, and avoids the retaining of moisture about the same and the consequent liability to rust.

It will be seen that ties constructed as herein described give a continuous bearing to the rails and themselves preserve the gage, that they afford the greatest bearing upon the roadbed at the ends where the weight of the load is received, and that by reason of their being connected the one with the other the use of spikes, chairs, and fish-plates is avoided and steadiness is given to the movement of trains.

In laying the rails I prefer to have the joints on the tie, where the ends of both rails can be engaged by the an gle-plates; but this is not at all necessary, as there will be a hearing beneath them. wherever they may meet.

On curves where the ties lie at somewhat of an angle with each other the tongues C may be slightly altered in length or the corners of the same rounded to compensate for the angle, and when desirable the flanges F maybe dispensed with and the rails held on their bearings simply by the tie-fastenings.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A cross-tie having an arm formed integral therewith and projecting from the sides to form additional bearings for the rails, the ends of the cross-ties projecting beyond the arms, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

2. The combination, with the tie having the perforations G and slots H, of the angle-plates and the bolts provided with the grooves it, connected by the eyes i, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination, with a tie having perforations to receive the head of the bolt and clamps for securing the rails in position, of bolts provided with grooves 7;, connected by eyes Z, substantially as set forth.

A. K. 1101* FM EIER.

'Wiiucsscs:

GEO. A. LANE, \VM. R. GERHART. 

